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Experts at a CFR-Lowy Institute workshop discuss Southeast Asian views of U.S.-China competition across a range of issues, including maritime disputes, trade and investment, and transnational security challenges.

The global humanitarian regime is not equipped to handle an era of chronic emergencies, accelerating climate change, and revolutions in transportation and information technologies. The International Institutions and Global Governance program held a workshop to assess the shortcomings of humanitarian infrastructure and evaluate prospects for reform.

Volatile food prices have become a frequent feature of the global economy. The Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies and the International Institutions and Global Governance program at the Council on Foreign Relations convened a score of experts to examine the consequences of past, and future, spikes in global food prices.

A defining feature of twenty-first century multilateralism is growing reliance on informal, non-binding, purpose-built partnerships and coalitions of the interested, willing, and capable. But the new multilateralism also presents dangers, among these encouraging rampant forum-shopping, undermining critical international organizations, and reducing accountability in global governance, writes Stewart Patrick.

The OECD’s approach to bringing in emerging powers as “key partners” is a smart way to remain relevant in a quickly shifting global landscape, argue Stewart Patrick and Naomi Egel. Other multilateral organizations should pay attention.

Joseph S. Nye Jr., Harvard University distinguished service professor at Harvard Kennedy School, and Stewart M. Patrick, senior fellow and director of the international institutions and global governance program at the Council on Foreign Relations, discuss the state of global governanceat the International Studies Association 2015 Annual Convention, as part of CFR's Academic Outreach Initiative.

In Paris, Stewart Patrick analyzes prospects for a French proposal in which the UN Security Council would adopt a “responsibility not to veto” norm in situations of mass atrocities. Despite tremendous challenges in implementing such a code of conduct, he concludes that it is ultimately a goal worth pursuing.

As civil war in Syria inches toward its four-year anniversary, the nation’s humanitarian catastrophe deepens. Some 7.6 million Syrians are now internally displaced, and another 3.3 million have fled to neighboring countries to avoid the complex three-way dogfight among Assad’s forces, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and Syrian rebels.

A united and capable Africa appeals to both regional players and Washington, which increasingly views violence within Africa’s many fragile states as enabling conditions for terrorists with growing global ambitions. By Stewart M. Patrick

The videos depicting beheadings of Western civilians by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have shocked audiences worldwide. But perhaps more surprising is something more mundane: the distinctly British accent of the English-speaking, knife-wielding militant.

The marketplace for medicines is highly fragmented and globalized, posing acute public health threats. Stewart Patrick and Jeffrey Wright assert that a global coalition of medicines regulators, designed with distinct features in mind, would better ensure the safety and integrity of our medicines.

In Africa, the most daunting obstacle to economic growth is rampant corruption that robs citizens of billions of dollars every year. Improving governance in the extractive industries—which are particularly prone to corruption—would go a long way toward achieving more robust and inclusive prosperity, write Stewart M. Patrick and Isabella Bennett.

Western leaders' ejection of Russia from the Group of Eight eliminates a "longstanding irritant" for the G7, but it will not likely influence Putin's strategic calculations, says CFR's Stewart M. Patrick.

Tod Lindberg defends the concept of the international community. At its best, the international community represents the embodiment of liberal normative ideals exerting an influence on international politics, though its many invocations may fall short in encapsulating this ideal.

2015 Annual Report

Learn more about CFR’s mission and its work over the past year in the 2015 Annual Report. The Annual Report spotlights new initiatives, high-profile events, and authoritative scholarship from CFR experts, and includes a message from CFR President Richard N. Haass.Read and download »